Chapter Eleven - Run

Co-written with Renegade Vic

A/N: We're so very sorry for the lag in updates! We promise we'll be a little more constant with our posting! :D

As soon as the needle had been inserted into his skin, clarity had seized Jonas' brain, allowing him to see properly for what felt like the first time since he'd woken up in this hellhole with those people.

Never in his entire life would he ever have thought that he would find such a strong kinship with any of them, let alone Mike King.

But they were brothers, not in blood, not even in arms. Just in heart. A true brother.

A creak of floorboards behind him threw him from his thoughts and he turned, half expecting to see the black-haired psycho chick following him, or Mike coming back for a final word.

To his misfortune, it was neither.

A lumbering beast stood behind him, eyes unfocused and bloodshot. Needles stuck out of infected looking points along his arms and upper thighs. A pause allowed him to count them all. Ten. Ten fuckin' needles stuck in so deep, he could walk without them dislodging.

Xavier. Fuck.

"Hey, my man…"

"Where are they?" The voice that rose gutturally from the drug-lord's throat was barely human, more animal. Like a rabid, hungry dog.

"Look, you can't just…"

"Where. Are. They?"

Jonas didn't know what to do. His knees had become paralyzed at the sight of the drug-dealer. He'd never give up Mike, or any of the others, but that didn't stop him from mulling over the fact that meeting his end by the hands of this motherfucker was going to HURT.

"I can't tell you that, man. I'm sorry…ain't the way we do things."

"I want them," Xavier growled, taking a heavy step forward. "You're gonna tell me where they are."

"Listen to me, man, just stop and listen-"

"Enough with the fuckin' talking!" The demon that had once been Xavier Chavez roared, nail bat held in one meaty hand. Jonas barely had a moment to react before it came swinging towards his face. A moment later, the nails pierced his skull and he knew no more.

The blood rushed out of the black man's head like a crimson fountain, splattering Xavier's face and shirt. It dripped across his lips and his tongue darted out purely out of habit.

Salty. Coppery. Wonderful.

With a brutal tug, he ripped his nail bat from Jonas' face, watching as the other man collapsed onto the ground, falling on his shoulder, his face to the floor.

And a curve of ink caught his eye.

16.

Bending down, Xavier moved his fingers across the back of the corpse's neck, eyes fixed hungrily on the number.

The numbers are in the back of your mind…the clues to their order can be found…over the rainbow…

The number was yellow.

Yellow, 16.

He'd decoded Jigsaw's message…and now it was all a matter of finding those fuckers and…taking their numbers.

Xavier was close. Mike heard his voice as he screamed- much too close for comfort.

Then there was the unmistakable, sickening thud. The sound of a body hitting the ground, and hard.

Jonas.

SHIT.

"On the count of three…we're gonna break from here," Mike whispered, gripping the boot knife tightly. "I'll take him down…you two run to the basement. No time to talk about it. I'll get you once he's outta the picture." Daniel stood stock-still, the perfect human equivalent of a deer caught in the headlights of an eighteen-wheeler. Amanda was shaking her head, eyes wide with fear.

"Mike…don't. We just have to hide…wait for him to go past…"

"And if he comes in here, then what? Bastard isn't in a talkin' mood. You two are NOT gettin' trapped by that motherfucker. Besides…he can't beat me. We saw that three times already. I trusted you comin' down here, Amanda…you gotta trust me to get you out." Mike pulled the door open slowly, stepping out into the hallway-

-and finding himself face-to-face with Xavier already. Blood flecked his face, his shirt, his arms and hands- and the nail-bat in his hands.

"Mike…" Xavier snarled, eyes bloodshot and sliding in and out of focus. "Turn around. You turn around, I see the back of your neck, you walk away. Don't have to die here."

His vocal patterns had degraded to something just above caveman-speak. Had the situation not been so dire, it would have been hilarious- but the fact that his rage, his demented focus, had reduced him to such a simple level of speech was utterly terrifying. Mike felt his pulse pounding like a jackhammer, a heavy lump forming in his throat that wouldn't fade no matter how many times he swallowed.

"My neck? You wanna see my neck? The fuck are you on about?" Mike retorted, raising the knife and shifting to a combat-ready stance.

He swings, duck. Bring the blade up, slash the tendons in his armpit. Follow up with the throat.

"There's a number. I want it," Xavier growled. "And now you're fucking around, King!" He drew the bat behind his shoulder in preparation for the swing.

Footsteps sounded behind Mike. Amanda and Daniel were exposed now.

He had to do it. No choice.

"Yeah? See how much fuckin' around I'm doin' with this!" he spat, lunging at Xavier as the behemoth swung the bat, one of the nails grazing his shoulder-

-and found that Xavier had anticipated his move. His wrist was locked, dwarfed in the drug dealer's enormous hand- and before Mike managed to trade the knife to his other hand, Xavier had twisted it, forcing his hand open. The knife clattered to the floor as Xavier shoved Mike back against the wall.

"RUN! Fucking run!"

Screaming…hurried almost running footsteps…

"RUN! Fucking RUN!"

Ava's eyes snapped open at the sound of Mike's panicked voice. He was never panicked…unless of course something had gone wrong and Xavier had found them.

Oh, shit!

"We can't just fucking leave them up there!" Addison protested, once again voicing Ava's concerns to the point where it was starting to seem like the hooker was reading her mind.

"Mike told me to keep you all safe," Obi replied, but his eyes were raised to the ceiling as well. "I'm going to keep you safe."

"Fuck, being safe!" Ava, or the Puppeteer snarled. "That fucker is up there killing them and you just wanna fucking sit here?"

"We haven't got any other options!"

"How about we work as a fuckin' team like Jigsaw wants and help them?"

Obi eyed her carefully, her break in character seemingly of great interest to him.

"Until we think it's safe, I'm not risking any of you getting hurt."

His calm tone infuriated Ava beyond comprehension, but what bewildered her more was…why did she suddenly care?

Her whole life, she'd lived as a solitary being. No friends. No living relatives. Nothing. And now, she was on the edge of her seat about the prospect of the lives of three people she barely knew? The closest thing she'd ever had to friends were these people…and now they were in danger.

Even her inner monster was furious at the prospect of having them taken from her in such a terrible way.

"The moment it goes quiet up there, I'm going up," she growled at Obi, daring him to challenge her. "Don't try to stop me."

Obi stared at her again, this time holding eye-contact. "I won't."

Out of the corner of his eye, Mike saw both Daniel and Amanda rush past, practically sprinting to the end of the hall.

He'd bought them the time they needed to get away. Hopefully they'd find somewhere to hide…he probably wouldn't be able to stop Xavier anymore, but he'd at least be able to stall him. Maybe even do a little damage first.

The hand that clamped down on his throat, however, seemed to disagree. Xavier was bent on making the kill personal…and painful. Mike's vision swam as the brutish drug dealer continued to choke the life out of him, drawing the nail-bat back with an animalistic grin.

"Shoulda cooperated," Xavier hissed, swinging the bat.

Time was slowing down around Mike again as he watched the bat moving toward him. He could practically count the nails studding it, could see the flecks of rust and bits of tissue still stuck to them.

That was going to fucking hurt when it connected.

If it connected.

It couldn't. He had to live…which meant Xavier had to miss. And die.

Mike threw all his weight into a single strike aimed at the inside of Xavier's elbow, feeling the pressure around his throat slacken as the blow connected. The momentum of the strike carried Mike forward, ducking just below the bat as it swept overhead.

He had to get away. Xavier had him outmatched- the drug dealer's rage and desperation outweighed the adrenaline pumping through Mike's veins. He had to get a weapon in his hands- something bigger than the knife.

That could only happen if he lived long enough to get away.

Press the advantage.

Mike threw what weight he had against Xavier, pushing him across the hallway and into the wall with force that belied his size. A series of palm-strikes to the taller man's solar plexus left him winded and doubled over, attempting to grab hold of Mike again.

"Get the fuck…OFF OF ME!" Mike roared, seizing Xavier's wrist and locking it out as he pivoted past the drug dealer's reach with the bat.

Straight shot.

Go.

With one final shove that left Xavier unbalanced, Mike took off at a dead sprint, ducking off down the hallway that led to the room they had started in.

Chair leg. Revolver. Anything.

It wasn't until he pushed past the steel door that Mike realized exactly what he had just done.

Daniel and Amanda were both standing immediately in front of him.

Xavier would follow him…and find them.

FUCK.

The noise above had died somewhat, but Ava could still hear Xavier's heavy footsteps. She was getting antsy. She wanted out, she wanted to fight, she wanted to save them.

Another bunch of emotions she didn't know how to fucking handle. It was getting harder and harder to sit still, so she had begun pacing the length of the room, head angled to the floor, watching as her boots hit the ground with each step she took, the black leather taking on a slight sheen in this light.

"Can you stop fuckin' pacing?" Laura snapped anxiously. "I can't relax when you're doing that."

"You're trying to relax?" Ava demanded, eyes wide. "How could you even considering relaxing right now?"

"If I'm not relaxed, I can't think straight. If I can't think straight, I panic." The blonde looked down at her hands. "Don't want to panic right now, okay?"

Ava's shoulders slumped and she exhaled heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was getting worse. In an effort to cope with the new concept of stress, she was lashing out at anyone that rose to her.

"The door to the house should be opening soon," Obi commented quietly. "We're going to survive, you know."

"Yeah, we know." Surprisingly, Addison didn't sound overly enthusiastic at the prospect. "Wonder if we'll end up doing exactly what we got thrown in for again, huh? Tell you one thing. Moment I get out of here, I'm gonna become a fuckin' nun for the rest of my life."

"Given your profession, probably a good idea. Should be a novel experience."

"Fuck you."

But the phrase was said without bite, only a kind of resignation. Addison was tired, Ava could tell. And she didn't blame her. It had been some night after all.

Quieter…where had they gone?

"He's comin'," Mike panted, pulling the door shut behind him and pressing his back against it. "Xavier's gonna find us. I was fuckin' stupid. Didn't know you guys were here. He's gonna-"

"No…no he's not," Amanda cut him off. "Help me with this…quick. If we want to live…" She began to push the safe, sliding it inch by inch away from the center of the room.

Hinges. The legs of the safe had been sitting on top of hinges…there was a trapdoor in the floor. How had Amanda known?

Did it matter? This was their way out. Survival was more important than the reasons behind it. Mike stepped in alongside Amanda, pushing the safe with the strength of a man driven by desperation.

Xavier was not going to get to them. The safe was clear of the hinges now, and a metal ring sat recessed into one of the boards. Mike seized it and pulled-

-and found it wouldn't budge.

Locked.

"Key. It needs a fucking key!" Mike hissed, glancing around the room frantically. Where had they seen keys?

Where hadn't they seen keys? Most of their tests had involved locating keys and opening locked doors. And all the keys had been different- that much, he had noticed.

This one needed a fairly small key. Smaller than the door keys…and shaped differently than the key to the padlock they had unlocked in Gus' test.

Gus. The rigged door.

The key.

"Key from the door," Mike blurted out, turning to face the door. The key was still in the lock where Xavier had left it. He lunged for it, pulling it from its resting place-

-and the door began to open.

Xavier.

Mike threw his weight against the door, barely managing to push it shut again.

"Catch! And fucking go!" he shouted, tossing the key to Amanda, who wasted no time in unlocking the trapdoor and disappearing down it.

"Mike, come on, you've got-"

"Not yet! Go on, kid- stick with Amanda! She's done this shit before, she knows what to do! GO!"

A jarring force on the other side of the door threatened to throw Mike face-first into the safe. Xavier had rammed it, probably with his shoulder- but Mike had held up against the impact.

"Go, dammit!"